With the conclusion of the spring season at San Benito High
School, which saw five of the seven programs advance to the
postseason, the athletic department announced its Athletes of the
Year at a ceremony last month and honored the 42 very best among
some 800-plus student athletes.
HOLLISTER
With the conclusion of the spring season at San Benito High School, which saw five of the seven programs advance to the postseason, the athletic department announced its Athletes of the Year at a ceremony last month and honored the 42 very best among some 800-plus student athletes.
The school awarded top-athlete honors for both males and females among the four grades — freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior — and also honored the top scholar-athletes, each of whom boasted a total grade-point average of 3.76 or higher over seven semesters.
For the boys, Kyle Vallejo was named the male scholar-athlete. The senior excelled in the classroom as well as on the field for both the baseball team and basketball team, the latter of which he led the Balers in field goals made last season.
Other nominations for the award included Austin Pan, Darren Coates, Ricky Garcia and Dustin Franco.
Meanwhile, the female scholar-athlete honor went to senior Monique Lassaga-Bishop. A Central Coast Section qualifier in track and field, Lassaga-Bishop shined in the pole vault event, finishing third in the Tri-County Athletic League.
Other nominations for the award included Rachel Smith, Yumi Kimura, Sophie Coelho and Vanessa Casalegno.
Casalegno, however, was named the top female athlete in the senior class after excelling at both tennis and basketball.
In the fall, Casalegno was part of San Benito’s No. 1 doubles team with partner Chelsea Yoakum. The two Haybalers advanced all the way to the league championship before falling to teammates Erin Glasspool and Rachel Smith in the final, but nevertheless finished with a near-flawless doubles record.
Over the course of three seasons, Casalegno and Yoakum went 43-1.
In the winter, Casalegno was a starting guard for the girls basketball team, which went 22-5 and advanced all the way to the Division I semifinals.
Other nominations for the senior female athlete award included Amanda Virak, Cassie Pate, Jennifer Temperino and Melisah Cortez.
The senior male athlete award, meanwhile, was given to Alex Alvarez, who played key roles for the football team, volleyball team and soccer team this past school year.
Alvarez was a starting cornerback for the Balers in the fall, and compiled three interceptions and a team-high 12 passes defended.
As a member of the TCALs stingiest defense, which allowed just 154 points over 13 games, Alvarez had 58 tackles for San Benito, including 27 solo tackles, and helped lead the Balers to the Division I championship and a 10-3 record.
He was also a defensive stalwart on the back line for the San Benito soccer team.
On the volleyball court, Alvarez often provided an emotional lift on the front line for the Balers, who went 14-11 overall, 12-4 in the TCAL.
Other nominations for the senior male athlete award included Trevor Fabing, Kyle Vallejo, Frankie Martinez and Nick Acosta.
In other grades, Mari Vallejo was named the top junior female athlete, while Jake Hunter earned the same honor among the junior boys; Marissa Adame was voted as the top sophomore female athlete and Lucas Haro was selected as the sophomore male athlete; and Ellie Burley and Jacob Tonascia were named the top female and male athletes in the freshmen class, respectively.
Each class had four nominations, while the winners were selected after a vote among all the coaches within the SBHS athletic department.
